Weighing apparatus for powdered fuel



Patented Ma 19; 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRITZ HOVING, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO RAY- MOND BROS. ENGINEERING CO., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLI- nors.

Application filed May 22,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Fnrrz Hovmq, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Weighing Apparatus for Powdered Fuel; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thls specification.

In an application of even date herewith for'a transport system for powdered fuel, I have described an apparatus in which a tank is first partly filled with powdered coal and then emptied or partly emptied by having the coal blown into a transport system by compressed air.

It is an object of the invent1on set out in this application to provide for welghmg the fuel delivered to the transport system 1n Such an apparatus.

It is a further obect of this invention to so mount the tank t at the quantity of fuel contained in it may be determined at any time by an indication of its weight.

It is a further ob'ect of this invention to provide a h drostatic method for we ghlng the tank an its contents whereby the weight may be indicated at any convenient observation oint.

It is a further object of this invention to counterbalance the tank so that the strain upon the weighing apparatus shall never be excessive.

Other and further. important objects of the invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the drawings and specification.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated inv the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings:

Fi re 1 is an elevation of the apparatus, certain parts being shown in section.

Figure'2 is a central vertical section.

As shown on the drawings: I

The apparatus includes a tank 1 situated beneath a funnel 2 by means of which powdered coal is delivered to the tank. The apparatus for controlling the dellvery of powdered coal is not described in detail because it forms no part of the invention cov- WEIGHING APPARATUS FOR POWDEREII FUEL.

1922. Serial No. 562,854.

The center of the bottom is supported upon a piston 4, the upper end of which is expanded as shown at 5 to afford ample hearing against the bottom 3. The lower end of the piston 4 is received within a cylinder 6 which is fixed to any suitable foundation underneath the tank. The packing 7 com pressed by a. gland 8 of a familiar form insures that there shall be no leakage between the piston and the entrance to the cylinder. A pipe 9 leads from the lower end of the cylinder to a pressure gauge 10. The pi e 9 and the interior of the cylinder 6, are lled with any suitable liquid so as to transmit the pressure of the piston to the pressure gauge mechanism. If the temperature never falls below freezing in the place where the tank is located, this liquid may be water, but oil, glycerine, alcohol or any other suitable liquid may be employed.

In order that the pressure gauge may not receive the full effect of all the weight of the tank upon the cylinder piston 4, a counterbalancing system is provided. This system is supported by uprights 12 arranged around the tank. The illustration is made to indicate that there are three of these uprights, but it is obvious that any desired numbermay be employed. Pi-votally secured to the uprights are arms 13 which are also pivoted to ear pieces 15 secured to the vertical sides of the tank in any desired manner. In the illustration these ear pieces are secured by being provided with feet-which are rivetedto the tank, but it is obvious that "they may be made integral with the walls of the tank or fastened thereto by welding or in any other desired manner. 'The other end of each arm extends from its pivot further than the. distance to the ear 15 in order to obtain an efiective'leverage. The long arms of the levers are pivotally connected to rods or cables 16, to the lower ends of which are 'pipe 9 into the cylinder 6 and the reading of the gauge 10 will diminish accordingly. The wei hts 17 are suflicient to counterbalance t 1e empty tank, and when the coal 1 is all used up from the tank, the reading of the gauge 10 will be negative. As coal is introduced into the tank the weight of the tank and coal acting upon the piston 4 causes the piston to descend, or at least to increase its pressure upon the liquid in the cylinder 6. The liquid then flows into the pipe 9 or at least transmits pressure throughsaid pipe so that the reading of the gauge 10 increases. By watching the gauge 10 therefore the operator can tell when the tank has been filled to the desired amount and can shut oft the supply of coal when this point is reached. When this is done, the gauge 10 will stand still indicating that no further change in weight is taking place. It then the supply of compressed air be manipulated so as to blow the coal out of the tank into the trans ort system, the weight of the tank will diminishand the operator will be able to tell how much coal has been delivered by watching the reading of the gauge 10 diminish. In this way the operator can keep track of how much coal is in the tank at any time and how much coal has been delivered by passing through the tank.

- I am aware that numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention: 1. In a device of the .class described, a tank, a series of uprights surrounding said tank, levers pivoted upon said upright s, one

end of each of-said levers being pivotally connected to the tank, weights connected to the other ends of said levers and counterbalancing said tank, and a weighing apparatus for indicating the difierence between said counterbalancing and the weight of said tank and contents.

2. In a weighing apparatus of the char-.

acter described, the combination of avertically disposed container for receiving the material to be weighed, supports arranged adjacent said container, counter-weight tivel mechanism comprising levers pivoted to said supports and attached to the container, and weights attached to the outer end of said levers and adapted to counter-balance the weightof said container, and means indicating the weight of the material introduced into said container comprising a closed chamber normally filled with a relatively dense fluid, a pressure auge communicating with said closed cham er, and a piston arranged to transmit the weight of said material in such container to said pressure gauge.

3. In a wei hing apparatus of the character describe the combination of a vertically disposed container for receiving the material to be weighed, supports arranged adjacent the container, counter-weight mechanism' comprising levers pivoted to said supports and attached to the container and weights attached to the outer ends of said levers and adapted to counter-balance the. weight of said container, and means for indicating the weight of the material introduced into said container comprising a closed chamber normally filled with a relatively dense fluid, a pressure gauge communicating with said closed chamber, and a piston adapted to be attached to the bottom of said container and-to operate in said closed chamber to transmit-the weight of said material through said fluid to said pressure gauge. i

4. In a weighing apparatus of the character described, the combination of a vertically disposed container for receiving the material to be weighed, supporting posts arranged adjacent to said container, counterweight mechanism for supporting the weight of said container comprising a plurality of levers pivoted to said postsand attached in vertical alignment to the upper and lower ends of said container, rods connecting the upper and lower levers in pairs, and weights attached to said rods, and means for indicating the weight of the material introduce into said container comprising a closed chamber normally filled with a reladense fluid, a pressuregauge communicating with said closed chamber, and

a piston adapted to be attached to said container for receiving the material to be weighed, a supporting structure, counterweight mechanism comprisinglevers pivoted to said supporting structure and attached to the container, and weights attached to the levers and adapted to counter-balance the weight of said container, and means for indicating the weight of the material introduced into said container comprising a closed chamber normally filled with a. relatively thin fluid, a pressure gauge communieating with said closed chamber, and a piston arranged to transmit the Weight of said material in said container to said pressure gauge.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

I FRITZ HQVING. Witnesses: 1

CARLTON L. HILL, JAMES N OBRIEN. 

